When it comes to food, nothing beats living in New York City.   From the great restaurants to the fabulous food carts, you're never left wanting for a good meal.  Another great offering, of course, is the countless festivals held throughout the year, including the Big Apple Barbecue Block Party (see our coverage here) and next month's second annual Food Network New York City Wine & Food Festival, featuring some of the biggest name in cooking.





Taking place this Columbus Day weekend, all the proceeds from the Festival will again benefit the hunger-relief organizations Food Bank For New York City and Share Our Strength.

“After a record-breaking year at the Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival, we are excited to return to New York City with a one-of-a-kind program,” says Schrager. “In these hard times, hunger-relief organizations need our help even more and these two valuable organizations excel at putting these proceeds to good use. We are honored to be working with them to bring awareness to this issue and help families in need.”

But get your tickets quickly by visiting www.nycwineandfoodfestival.com, or by calling 866.696.2933 because a line-up this hot is sure to sell out in advance.  Among the offerings worth checking out October 8-11 include:

• Bacon, Bourbon and the Blues hosted by Thrillist on opening night
• Hill Country will play host to the queen of Southern cuisine and her friends as Paula Deen hosts Down South Up North with boys Bobby and Jamie Deen; featuring the latest creations from the Lee Bros., along with Art Smith, Chris Lily and Katie Lee Joel
• New York Times restaurant critic Frank Bruni hosting a culinary discussion to share insights from the field and discuss the highly anticipated release of his book “Born Round: The Secret History of a Full-Time Eater” (Penguin, 2009)
• The intersection between food and fashion will be examined at the highly anticipated dinner hosted by fashion designer Zac Posen with Giada De Laurentiis (Giada at Home) and Marcus Samuelsson
• 2009 James Beard Award “Best Chef New York City” Gabriel Kreuther of The Modern hosting an Oktoberfest Dinner
• An unprecedented dinner with Alain Ducasse and his chefs who will cook in the Beard House kitchen for the first time
• TimesTalks presented by New York Times will feature a new line-up of discussions with Ina Garten, Bobby Flay, Giada De Laurentiis, and Anthony Bourdain
• The Festival’s interactive wine and spirits seminars and cocktail clinics will return, taking place at Festival headquarters, The Standard, New York with new headliners like Kevin Zraly, Tony Abou-Ganim, Andrea Robinson, Anthony Giglio and Josh Wesson
• Closing out the weekend is an unprecedented tribute to Little Italy’s most iconic dish the “meatball”, with Meatball Madness hosted by Giada De Laurentiis at la venue at the Waterfront

Returning Festival favorites include the kick-off event Chelsea Market After Dark presented by Food Network and hosted by Guy Fieri (Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives) and Sandra Lee (Sandra’s Money Saving Meals); the Blue Moon Burger Bash presented by Allen Brothers hosted by Rachael Ray held under the Brooklyn Bridge in DUMBO; the chic neighborhood-wide tasting Meatpacking Uncorked; RED hosted by Tom Colicchio with Paul Bartolotta; the celebration of sugary delicacies known as Godiva Chocolatier presents SWEET sponsored by Perrier-Jouët, hosted by Duff Goldman (Ace of Cakes); and the unparalleled tasting of food, wine and spirits found in the Grand Tasting presented by ShopRite at Pier 54 in Hudson River Park.

So log on to www.nycwineandfoodfestival.com, check out the full lineup and plan on seeing us there!


- SmokeInDaEye.com, Home of Bigger, Badder, Bolder BBQ